Daniel Perez de Tejada

Grounded Moves and Other Setups

While Kicks, Flips, and Twists compose the predominant performance categories in tricking, Ground Moves are commonly employed as a stylistic aspect. Though the discipline of break dancing includes a heavier focus on ground moves, there are many working to expand their use in tricking. Summarized into sub-categories below are a collection of ground moves and other setups frequently used in tricking. Each represents a plethora of possible techniques for building momentum or adding an element of creativity to a tricking pass, and more are in development all the time.

Power Breaking

Power moves from break dancing are designed to sustain circular momentum. Any part of the body including the hands, head, shoulder, or back can be used to make contact with the floor in order to build and maintain momentum at an angle. While moves like windmills, flares, air flares, and more are a focus in breaking, they are generally showcased in the middle of tricking combos or used as a bridge to the next part of the pass.

Upright Setups

Among the most common movements used as setups are adapted from walking; upright setups include any method of staying on the feet to build momentum. Setups like J-step, pivot, wind up (commonly used for Btwist,) loser (lost ground for axe webster) and others differ from other subcategories, in that they are not actual skills on their own.

Handsprings & Touch-downs

Any Invert skill can be adjusted to use the hands before the landing to become a Handspring or Touch-down (TD.) This type of movement lends itself well to building momentum, but can sometimes be the focus of a pass. Twisting can be split up on either end of connecting hands to the ground (which can include one or both hands), creating almost unlimited options for hand spring techniques.

Creative Groundwork

Creative Groundwork is defined by any movement which is not specifically designed for efficiency (and is not already in one of the other sub categories.) This is a stylistic amalgam that includes dive rolls, sweep connections, knee-takeoffs, and whatever else trickers can come up with.

Ground Move / Setup

Back Spin, Turtle Spin, Air Chair Spin

Pivot, J-Step, Spin-Step

Gumbi & Touch-down Raiz

Sweep, Illusion, Compasso

1990, Head Spin

Cheat Setup, K-Step

Front Handspring, Atwist Gumbi

Knee-gainer, Knee-cork

Description

Grounded Flatspins

Builds momentum into gainer takeoff

Adapted from Invert Raiz

Stylized Grounded Kicks

Inverted twists

Builds momentum into cheat takeoff

Adapted from Webster

Stylized Takeoffs

There's no telling what the future of tricking holds in store, particularly when it comes to the grounded tricks category. Ground-based acrobatics continue to have a strong presence as a focus in breaking, and as the two disciplines have drawn upon one another for inspiration it's likely that we will inherit many more of these moves in the years to come. In the mean time interested trickers are encouraged to educate themselves on the movements commonly found in breaking, by exploring the culture and community of practitioners known as bboys.